---
title: "Before you begin"
url: "https://audioguidekit.org/docs/getting-started/overview"
description: "What you need to know before getting started"
lang: "en"
updated: "2026-09-19T16:42:38.209Z"
---

# Before you begin

[Docs](https://audioguidekit.org/docs) / Getting started / Before you begin

# Before you begin

What you need to know before getting started

AudioGuideKit is designed to be approachable for non-developers while remaining flexible enough for technical users who want to customize everything. Here's what you'll need to get started.

## What you'll need

### Required

#### Audio content

MP3 or M4A audio files for your tour stops. These need to be hosted somewhere accessible via URL (we'll cover options in the [Media](https://audioguidekit.org/docs/content/media) section).

#### A computer

Mac, Windows, or Linux—anything that can run Node.js.

#### A place to host

A static hosting service like Vercel, Netlify, or GitHub Pages.

### Nice to have

-   **Basic command line familiarity** - You'll run a few terminal commands, but we'll walk you through each one
-   **A code editor** - [VS Code](https://code.visualstudio.com/) is free and works great; we're also fans of [Zed](https://zed.dev/), but any text editor will do
-   **Images** - Photos for each tour stop. Optional—stops work fine with just audio and text, but images make the experience richer. Free sources like Unsplash work well, or host your own.
-   **Audio recording equipment** - Or just your phone! Modern smartphones record surprisingly good audio

## Technical requirements

AudioGuideKit uses:

-   **Node.js 18+** or **Bun** (recommended) for running the development server
-   **Git** for cloning the repository

Don't have these installed? No problem. The [Installation](https://audioguidekit.org/docs/getting-started/installation) guide walks through setting everything up.